Organic garlic is known as one of the best organic products of Batanes in terms of variety, price and taste. Its inclusion as an emerging commodity for the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) is essential to mobilize the support for the value-adding activities of organic garlic stakeholders.

With this in mind, members of the I-PLAN group convened a joint Regional Project Coordination Office 2 (RPCO 2) and Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) Workshop on June 08-12, 2015 to provide a forum for the stakeholders’ consultation and finalization of the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP).

The key players for the garlic commodity included the Municipal Agriculturists of the six municipalities, garlic producers, consolidators and traders, and representatives of other line agencies and civil society organizations. The workshop participants identified the constraints and enhanced the opportunities for the garlic industry.

Likewise, the stakeholders ascertained the interventions needed to support the production, processing and marketing of organic garlic in both raw and processed forms. The identified interventions were prioritized according to the needs of the organic garlic industry.

One of the key issues that surfaced during the consultation is the possibility for a single proprietor to avail of an exclusive partnership with PRDP. In response, Dr. Reynaldo Ame, Planning Specialist, emphasized that one of the main objectives of the Project is inclusive growth. Hence, such exclusive partnership shall not be entertained because it undermines one of the Project’s development objectives.

In addition to the prioritization of interventions, members of the PPMIU Batanes along with the Municipal Agriculturists identified the specific locations and measurements of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), bridges and tramlines. The identification of these infrastructures is eminent to support the production and marketing of organic garlic within and outside the Batanes Group of Islands.

Participants for the joint RPCO-PPMIU meeting drafted the issues and challenges in the province’s overall agribusiness development, as well as the strategies to achieve these target goals and the priority commodity chains development.

Dr. Ame highlighted the importance of the PCIP in the prioritization of subprojects for funding. He advised the participants that all data included in the PCIP must be concisely discussed focusing on its analysis and interpretation. All data and information used in the crafting of the PCIP, and its critical linkages with the VCA of Organic Garlic are subject to further validation when specific subprojects for I-BUILD and I-REAP are identified, developed and prioritized. (Jaycee Capalungan, InfoACE RPCO2)